See That? That's the Monkey's Paw
by AlexanderLutece
Summary: When Princess Bubblegum heard of Jake's interactions with Prismo, she went to make her own wish. The aftermath was much more terrible than she had predicted.
1. Princess Bubblegum

As the sun came up over the horizon, the Candy Kingdom woke with it. The people took themselves up from their homes and began to get ready for their day. Putting on clothes, having breakfast, the usual setup. That is, of course, all except for Princess Bubblegum.

Sitting in her room, the door was shut, and the windows closed. The only sound that could be heard was a gentle weeping. In her hands, she held an assortment of pictures, all of which contained her, and her alone. If one took more than a glance at them, it would be obvious that there was something missing. In every picture, she looked like she was holding someone, and in everyone, that someone was gone. A knock at the door reminded her that it was time to get up.

"I'll be out in a minute," she called, keeping the sorrow in her voice at a minimum.

Retreating steps told her that the visitor was gone, and she quietly put the photos back into the box she'd gotten them from. Within it were many other things; the hilt of a broken sword, an odd looking hat, a green backpack, and the only picture she'd fully salvaged from the world transfer. It was of a young boy, about thirteen, wearing the hat and backpack, and wielding the full, unbroken sword. It was, by far the picture with the most tear stains upon it. Sighing, she put a lid on the box, and then hid it back under her bed.

* * *

Far away in the mountains, a renewed evil sat upon a throne within his cave. It was an unspoken agreement from the moment he'd found the crown as nothing more than a toddler- protect him at the cost of his identity and sanity. It was nothing he'd truly cared about then, and even now, he can't find reason to even dwell on the topic for more than five minutes. His appearance was menacing, and his power was great, and although he often failed in his attempts to wed a princess, he was sure that he would win them over one day.

After all, who could resist the Ice Prince?


	2. Flame Princess

The floor was cold. She absolutely _hated _the cold. Why was she somewhere cold? The cold sucks.

Groaning, she sat up and looked around; she was in an ice cave. Her flames were doing virtually nothing to the ice, and looking about the cave, she found out why.

_The Ice Prince, while cunning, needs to stop letting himself slack off so much. _she thought.

In the corner was a large, frosted comfort chair, and its occupant was sleeping soundly. In her current position, she could only look at him with utter contempt. They hated each other, and they both knew it, but her status as a princess in the fire kingdom would grant him far more diplomatic power than he currently had.

_'I could destroy your entire kingdom from the inside out, and reconstruct it as my own.'_

_'And what of the nations outside of your grasp?'_

_'I would find the entire world easily defeated under the armies of fire and ice.'_

_'You...you're not a prince. You're a monster.'_

She gave a small sigh. Then, it had felt justified, but as time went on, it became more and more of a scar on her memory. With each passing day, she felt more and more that there was something..._wrong _with saying that to him.

_"Yo, Flame Princess!" _whispered Jake as he rounded the corner. _"I've got his cage-key!" _he said, holding up a ice blue key.

_"You always are right where I need you, aren't you?" _she whispered happily.

_"Always at your service, Princess! You should thank Flambo, though, since he's the one who told me Ice Prince got a hold of you." _The cage door clicked and swung open, its hinges creaking eerily. The pair held their breath for a moment as the Prince muttered something in his sleep, shifting into a slouch.

_"Let's get out of here; I don't want to see what would happen if he woke up and caged you up, to," _she whispered.

* * *

As the walked through the forest, they made idle chit-chat, talking about how annoying Ice Prince is among other things. An extreme roar of anger echoed through the forest, and though quiet, the power wasn't lost upon them.

"Geez, he really needs to quiet down sometimes, doesn't he?" Jake said, grinning slightly.

"Y-yeah, he...he really does." replied the Princess.

"You alright, FP?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little nervous, that's all."

"Ah, don't worry, I've got your back!"

She smiled lightly, amused at her friend's antics, but the back of her mind continued to dwell on something. It was a small something that came every time she heard him roar, and it would fade after a while, but the feeling was remembered as if it was still there. It was a basic feeling, but for her, it held so much more.

She felt an urge to turn around, to run into his chambers and console him. To hold him, as he held her, and not in the forceful way when he tried to force her to wed with him. It was a haunting feeling, and it scared her more than anything the Prince could do to her himself.


	3. The Ice Prince

Sleep was rather elusive for the Ice Prince, and whenever he finally found it, it was at the worst possible time. Examples:  
-Making a sandwich with a sharp knife.  
-Trying to kidnap a princess (at night especially).  
-Running away from that lich thing.  
-Keeping watch on the Flame Princess.

His heavy breaths were the only sounds within his entire castle. This one chance he had for someone, _anyone _accompany him in his castle had slipped quickly from his grasp. There would be many more; he would make sure of it. It was just the times when he was so close and failed so easily that constantly crushed his hopes for companionship.

When he looked around, he knew that he didn't need others. The only reason he interacted with them at all was so he could rule all of Ooo, turning it into his icy kingdom...and maybe a small bit of land for the fire people.

_Yes, _he thought, _I need them only for my personal enjoyment. They don't matter. I can find others to accompany me, like..._

No one came to mind. Simply another reminder that, within this castle, he was completely alone. The only thing to do was to quietly think. He felt calmer than he was moments ago. Silently, he walked through the halls, past rooms once filled with (admittedly stolen) artifacts and riches, now emptier than the farthest reaches of space.

All because of that _Princess._

Well, the dog, too, but mostly the Princess. It was as if the universe had purposely been set up to taunt him, an ironic twist only devisable by cosmic beings: the Prince of all that was Ice and Frost versus the Princess of all that was Heat and Flame. It was an ironic twist that would only be laughed at by the _cruelest _of omnipotent beings-

* * *

_Meanwhile, in a time room realities away..._

"Dude, I like you, so you should know my wishes always have a bit of an ironic twist to them. Sort of a monkey's paw kind of thing."

* * *

_Back in the castle of the Ice Prince..._

-and was only made more frustrating when the Princess escaped _right under his nose!_

_Why am I so upset by this, anyway? _he thought. _I don't care about her. She's just...her._

Looking ahead, he found himself staring at an old sculpture. It was part of his original plan to 'woo' her. In his opinion, it was a fairly good piece of art; it was a replica of the Flame Princess, standing in a pose of curiosity. Shaking his head, he turned around and left the room, but in the forgotten part of his mind he'd left when he put on the crown, he remembered something.

He remembered what love felt like.


	4. Marceline

As always, she awoke in total darkness. It wasn't all that often, though, that she would awake to a deafening roar. It was Ice Prince again. It always was. She honestly couldn't care less about why he was upset- all she wanted was for him to just _shut up_ so she could sleep in peace. Looking around, she found herself standing in her bedroom. The temperature was mild, but it was dropping, and fast. This always happened when he got extremely upset; he'd yell in outrage and she would wake up. She'd walk up to the topmost room, and he'd be pacing. This was where things got...difficult. Sometimes, he'd tell her to go away, and from that, she'd leave him alone or stay and make him talk. Other times, he'd look up in surprise, some vague understanding of recognition on his face. At least he didn't do the same thing every time when it came to that.

Looking in the mirror, she grimaced. Her hair was a mess, and her pajamas were ruffled. She could already tell it was going to be a long day.

* * *

Although she never said so, she found the Ice Prince's sculptures to be endearing, in a way. Even though they were clearly below average, it was easy to recognize what they were modeled after. Floating up to the top of the mountain, she found him pacing the floor.

_As if he'd do anything different. _she thought.

"Hey, IP." she said, casually floating above him. He stopped and his shoulders tensed for a moment before he continued walking. He hated it when she did that, but she really couldn't care less.

"Hello, Marceline," he said coolly. "Why are you here?"

"You woke me up again." she bluntly replied.

"...it was the roar, wasn't it?"

"_Psshh._ That wasn't a roar, that was a loud yell," she taunted, "So, what's up?"

Ignoring her, he continued pacing, studying the floor and hoping that she'd just disappear. Ever since she found him seven years ago, he couldn't shake her loose. She'd insisted that he wasn't ready to provide for himself, no matter how much 'ultimate power' was at his command, and as a result, took up a position as his 'guardian angel-thing', and was able to find him in a matter of minutes. Whether or not she still thought that was up in the air. Either way, she was extremely annoying, and he just wished that she'd go aw

* * *

Suddenly, she was kicked her out of her thoughts. Looking down, she saw she was fully clothed. She'd blanked out again. Grumbling, she grabbed an umbrella and walked outside. The sun was shining, and the birds were chirping, contrary to the sulking vampire with the punk outfit. Looking towards the Ice Kingdom, she sighed softly. She'd only known him for a year before the crown's madness had swallowed him whole, and he forgot her completely. At first, it was just a collection of little things; calling her 'Gunter' instead of 'Marceline', getting lost in the forest he'd lived in for a year, and at one point, having total amnesia for a few moments. A few weeks after that, he forgot permanently.

When she thought about it, it didn't make sense, and even if it did, it still wasn't fair. Why did such an ordinarily sweet kid have to turn so cold and bitter? Why was someone who should have been playing with friends be cooped up in a mountain most of the time? Why was her hand bur-

"AGH!" she yelled, pulling her hand from the sunlight. It healed quickly enough, but the pain was still faintly there. The meadow was empty. She'd apparently scared all of the creatures away; not a sound soul remained but her.

Sighing, she turned around, retreating into her home. Flopping back down onto her bed, a single thought ran through her head.

_I'll be alone forever, won't I?_


	5. The Wish

The first thing she noticed about the 'Time Room' was that it seemed very quaint for something that (supposedly) held cosmic, omnipotent beings. Of course, what it looked like didn't matter- she just wanted what was _inside _of it.

After a bit of rock-hoping, she landed at the entrance and walked inside. The room was undecorated, and the only notable things were the three other entrances, and a man painted onto the wall and floor. Anyone else would have walked out, assuming that there was nothing else to see.

She knew better.

"I assume you're Prismo?" she asked, jumping down to the floor.

"Mmhmm. I'm guessing you're here to make a wish?" he asked back.

"Yes, I am."

"Well, go at it." Bubblegum blinked, slightly shocked.

"No test of character? No trials? Nothing?"

"Nope. It's pretty hard to get here in the first place, so I always let the whole 'final challenge' thing slide. So, your wish?"

"Right. I wish that the Ice King never came to be."

"See ya later." he said, nodding as he sent her to her wished-up dimension.

* * *

The birds chirped in the air, and as the sun reached into Princess Bubblegum's lab, she began to wake. Stretching, she stood up and observed her work area. The artificial portal had disappeared with it's frame, but she really didn't care- she got her wish, and with Ice King gone, so many problems disappeared, as well as many unwelcome evils.

As she walked outside, something felt...off. There was a problem. She could _feel _it. Disregarding her feeling of unease, she continued walking, making sure to observe everything.

_Everything **seems **alright. The castle's intact, Ice Kingdom's not go_

_WAIT._

Squinting, she could tell that it wasn't a mirage; the Ice Kingdom was well and truly _there_. Sighing in disappointment, she turned and continued her walk. She should've known better than to trust magic. As convenient as it would have been, it was simply impossible. Universes didn't just pop into existence because someone wanted them to. The idea itself was ludicrous.

"Yo, PB!"

"Oh, hi, Jake! It's nice to see you. What's up?" she asked.

"I was just lookin' for Lady. We're going on a picnic today, remember?"

"Really? I thought you were hanging out with Finn." This gained an odd look from the dog, to which she responded, "What?"

"I don't know anyone named 'Finn', Princess. You okay?" A sudden feeling of dread fell over her, and her chest felt cold.

"Y-yeah. Have a nice picnic."

"Uh...okay. Just call me up if something wacky's goin' down."

As soon as he was out of sight, Princess Bubblegum ran straight to her room. When she arrived, she searched through everything she had until she found it; the _difference._

A picture Ice King had 'cursed' to never leave her bedroom lay in her hands. It was originally a picture of him waving at her. Now, it contained someone else. Blue skin, admiral's uniform, white hair and a long nose.

_No, no no!..._

Racing to her telescope, she aimed it to where Finn and Jake lived. Instead of a tree-turned-house, there was little more than a fallen trunk, having died when there was no one to look after it. Backing away from the telescope, she put her hands to her mouth- it wasn't possible. Even if this was her 'wish dimension', Finn wouldn't become an insane mage of ice...would he? That crown _was_ proven to be cursed. Gulping, she turned to a picture she had on her nightstand. It had been taken the first time Finn had saved her from the Ice King, and they- Jake, Finn and herself- had gathered for something to remember the occasion. Now, though, there were only two. Her and Jake.

As she fell to her knees, she was dimly aware of something hot running down her cheeks.

_Oh, Finn...what have I done?_


	6. Sub-Zero

Running down a corridor, he knew he had to get away from it. He didn't even know what it wanted, but only that when it touched him, he felt cold and scared, and it had greeted him as if they had met before. The faster he ran, the faster it followed. The more turns he made, the quicker it became. It knew where he was going, and didn't want him to get there. He didn't have a clue where he was going himself, but if it wasn't around this thing, it was better.

He turned a corner, and there it was. It was beautiful, powerful, and _warm,_ not like what was chasing him. He ran towards it, but it was floating away quickly, like a leaf in the breeze. He shouted something, and all he could tell was that it stopped for a moment before speeding ahead, leaving him behind as the thing closed around him.

It faded, and as it did, he felt its warmth leave him. The thing had caught up with him, and was now encasing him in cold, thick ice. Before he was frozen completely, he managed out a question.

"W-who are you? _What_ are you?"

He was frozen completely after that, and through the ice he could finally see it's face. It was menacing, and it's eyes looked like they would swallow you in their darkness. It's teeth were sharpened, and it was grinning insanely. His vision was starting to go dark, but he could here it's response, loud and clear.

"Oh, Finn...I'm _you._"

And with that, it shattered him into a million pieces, each one falling through the floor into infinite darkness, and he became nothing more than pieces of a once pure whole, shattered and morphed beyond recognition.

The world faded, and he was nothing.

* * *

With a gasp, Marceline sat up in her bed. The air had gone to below freezing, and frost was building on her window. Standing before her bed was Finn. He was wearing that creepy crown again, and the look on his face was unsettling. It was too dark to see completely, but she could tell his skin was kind of blue, and his hair had gone pure white.

"F-Finn? Are y-you ok-kay?" she asked, her teeth chattering.

"Oh, Marceline..." he said slowly. "I feel much better than just 'okay'. In fact, I feel like a _Prince_."


End file.
